First of all, I just want to say "thank you" to the moderator and other members' responses to the pleas for transfer help at CDG. It's helped me to better recall CDG's layout.

I will be flying BOS-CDG-PRG later this month (AF321 to CSA759/AF4900 Codeshare). I believe I will be arriving in 2E from Boston at 8:35 am (on a Saturday), but will likely have to make my way over to 2B for my 9:55 am connecting flight to Prague.

Should I, or am I even able to take the airside shuttle bus to 2B? Or would I have enough time to walk there given that I'd have to go through immigration twice and security once, from what I understand (could be wrong)? I am a very fast walker--most have difficulty keeping up with me.

Is Saturday morning an off-peak time for CDG, or is it quite busy then?

An interesting document - 348 pages - in French, published by ADP, to prepare its possible privatization, available on the ADP web site (no direct link possible due to regulatory context) . The overall trend is to move from 47.1 million passengers today at CDG, in order to reach 66.5 million in 2010, and 100 million sometime around 2020-2025. A summary of the most important investments currently planned at CDG:

The really new piece of information is the creation of a new, full size terminal, not only a satellite (ie boarding area) for an existing terminal.

Details concerning the integration of the VAL network, including its extension to CDG 2G, remain sketchy.

Overall, a nice strategic vision and masterplan ^ , which nevertheless require a hard nosed implementation with a good focus and greater attention to detail than in the past. In addition, moving S4 forward to 2010 would definitely be useful.

Thank you for all of this great information. My question: I am traveling from PHL-CDG on US Airways (gold preferred, UA 1K, RCC), and then on to DXB via AF (CO gold elite). Returning DXB-CDG via AF with a five hour layover on Friday morning (8 AM - 1:30 PM). All on economy tix. What lounge access will be available to me in CDG? would it be worth purchasing a Priority Pass?

Thanks for the info JOUY31. Sounds like 2008 will be a banner year for CDG with 2E coming back online and the addition of 2G. That should improve passenger comfort greatly.

Have you seen any plans for 2E? I had read that they are demolishing the entire upper level of the boarding area and rebuilding on top of the platform left. In otherwords, maintaining the operational level below and starting from scratch on the passenger area. Is that the case?

I will be flying BOS-CDG-PRG later this month (AF321 to CSA759/AF4900 Codeshare). I believe I will be arriving in 2E from Boston at 8:35 am (on a Saturday), but will likely have to make my way over to 2B for my 9:55 am connecting flight to Prague.

Should I, or am I even able to take the airside shuttle bus to 2B? Or would I have enough time to walk there given that I'd have to go through immigration twice and security once, from what I understand (could be wrong)? I am a very fast walker--most have difficulty keeping up with me.

Is Saturday morning an off-peak time for CDG, or is it quite busy then?

Both options are possible :
- airside bus, although I have never experienced personally leaving from or going to 2E; apparently, there is a specific bus going to 2E, I have never seen anything specific related to the bus leaving from 2E; you will be remaining airside, not clearing immigration or customs, just going through security at the gate in 2B
- entering France and going landside in 2E; once you have cleared immigration, you need about 15mn to walk to 2B, through large galleries with nice views on the tarmac, one third of the distance being on moving walkways. The possible stumbling blocks are immigration in 2B and 2E. It's been a year since I have been through immigration at 2E, so I will defer to other people's experience. In 2B, it can be a hassle on weekdays at peak hours. Saturday morning in May should be off-peak. So it should be OK (under 10mn).

So, deciding between the two options depends on the time you will be arriving in the CDG 2E building itself, on the length of the immigration queue you will see there and on the time you need to wait for the next airside bus.

Thank you for all of this great information. My question: I am traveling from PHL-CDG on US Airways (gold preferred, UA 1K, RCC), and then on to DXB via AF (CO gold elite). Returning DXB-CDG via AF with a five hour layover on Friday morning (8 AM - 1:30 PM). All on economy tix. What lounge access will be available to me in CDG? would it be worth purchasing a Priority Pass?

US Airways flights are operated from CDG1, while Air France flights are operated from CDG2. I believe there is a RCC in CDG1, which you should be able to use. Unfortunately, as you are not SkyTeam Elite Plus, you will have no access to the AF operated lounges in CDG2. And there are no Priority Pass lounges in CDG2.

...snip... The possible stumbling blocks are immigration in 2B and 2E. It's been a year since I have been through immigration at 2E, so I will defer to other people's experience. In 2B, it can be a hassle on weekdays at peak hours. Saturday morning in May should be off-peak. So it should be OK (under 10mn).

I have never waited more than a few minutes at 2B immigration. If one side is really crowded, you can try walking to the other end of the building. On the other hand, my waits to clear gate security have been horrendous lately. So I would allow at least 20-30 minutes for this in case you hit it wrong (2 or 3 full planes boarding simultaneously can be a nightmare--the equivalent of a full 747 trying to get though just one x-ray machine).

Both options are possible :
- airside bus, although I have never experienced personally leaving from or going to 2E; apparently, there is a specific bus going to 2E, I have never seen anything specific related to the bus leaving from 2E; you will be remaining airside, not clearing immigration or customs, just going through security at the gate in 2B
- entering France and going landside in 2E; once you have cleared immigration, you need about 15mn to walk to 2B, through large galleries with nice views on the tarmac, one third of the distance being on moving walkways. The possible stumbling blocks are immigration in 2B and 2E. It's been a year since I have been through immigration at 2E, so I will defer to other people's experience. In 2B, it can be a hassle on weekdays at peak hours. Saturday morning in May should be off-peak. So it should be OK (under 10mn).

So, deciding between the two options depends on the time you will be arriving in the CDG 2E building itself, on the length of the immigration queue you will see there and on the time you need to wait for the next airside bus.

Enjoy your flights

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your experienced insight. Thanks to you, I feel confident I will have a viable "action plan" when I arrive at CDG...making my travel as stress-free as possible. THANK YOU!

I have never waited more than a few minutes at 2B immigration. If one side is really crowded, you can try walking to the other end of the building. On the other hand, my waits to clear gate security have been horrendous lately. So I would allow at least 20-30 minutes for this in case you hit it wrong (2 or 3 full planes boarding simultaneously can be a nightmare--the equivalent of a full 747 trying to get though just one x-ray machine).

Thank you! I will definitely keep my eye on that security line in 2B. With any luck, I'll hit it at an off-peak time. Thanks again for the valuable insight and tips! I really appreciate it.

Castel and Fromaget, a subsidiary of the Fayat group, in association with Laubeuf, a subsidiary of Irish group CPH, a company specialized in canopies, have just won the call for tenders for the deconstruction and rebuilding of the steel structure of the pier of CDG2E, for an amount of 38 million euros. The two companies will have 20 months, from the official notification of the contract by Aéroport of Paris, probably at the end of May, to complete the work on the CDG2E pier. The initial form of the work, in Moorish arch, will be preserved with an identical appearance and similar interior environment, although more open to light due to the transparency of the newly constructed work. Some figures : net savings of weight above 80% - compared with the existing roof, for an amount of 10 million euros ; total cost of the work is estimated 150 million euros

Just for you to know, depending on the time you come out of immigration in 2C.

Once you have cleared immigration in 2C, provided you have nothing suspicious in your carry-ons , you need :

- 10mn max to walk from 2C to 2D
- this can be shaved down to 5-6mn if you are really a good runner
- 5mn-10mn to clear security at the gate in 2D (the gate area in 2D is one single entity, so you can use any of the security checkpoints).

Just for you to know, depending on the time you come out of immigration in 2C.

Last time (last Sunday) I arrived at 2C, it didn't take me more than 5 min to clear immigration. They had opened 5 positions at 12 pm. ^ And my recent 2C-6 am experiences were quite fine as well. I have to say that the bus disembarkation process from the aircraft to 2C tends to fluidize the flow of passengers going through immigration.